Small School, Smart Tools: Using AI to Win Big on Grants and other time saving tools

Breakout Session #3 - (1:20 - 2:10 PM)

10/30/2025

Beecher-Dunbar-Pembine School District

Lynn Stankevich and Vince Czahor

Introduction

Discover how a small, rural, high-poverty school leveraged AI technology to successfully write and secure multiple competitive grants without a dedicated grant writer. This session demonstrates practical strategies to integrate AI, especially ChatGPT, into grant writing processes, saving time and enhancing proposal quality for rural school success.

Beecher-Dunbar-Pembine School District (BDP) is located in Pembine, Wisconsin—nestled in the Northwoods, about 80 miles north of Green Bay. Our district serves approximately 225 students in a close-knit, rural setting where relationships are at the heart of education.

BDP’s greatest strength lies in our small size, which allows us to build meaningful connections with every student. As a Title I Schoolwide Program, BDP embraces teamwork and innovation to ensure that every student receives an exemplary education. Like most rural schools we rely on operational referendums to fund our school. Grants are essential for funding additional programs and projects.

Vision Statement:� Empowering students to pursue success

Lynn Stankevich

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District Administrator from Beecher-Dunbar-Pembine School District and has been with the district as a teacher, instructional coach, special education teacher, principal, and now district administrator. Her visionary leadership has led our district to become a DPI High-Impact school.

Vince Czahor

Vince Czahor from the Beecher-Dunbar-Pembine School District is the 4K-12 PrinVince Czahor from the Beecher-Dunbar-Pembine School District is the 4K-12 Principal, District Technology Coordinator, District Certified Library Media Specialist, and District Assessment Coordinator. He has been with BDP School for 21 years. He is also a WiRSA board member.cipal, District Technology Coordinator, District Certified Library Media Specialist, and District Assessment Coordinator. He has been with BDP School for 21 years. He is also a WiRSA board member.

AI-Driven Grant Writing for Rural Schools

Limited Human Resources

Beecher-Dunbar-Pembine School District has 55 total staff members including support staff, certified staff, and administration. We have one IT support person (Vince) and no dedicated grant writer. AI tools are really the only way we could have the capacity to write grants. And we have been successful!

Leveraging AI to Secure Competitive Grants

AI was used to enhance applications for several key grants, including: the DPI Peer Mentoring Grant, Provident Healthy Snack and Activity Grant, State and Local Cybersecurity Wisconsin Emergency Management Grant and the federal COPS School Violence Prevention Program.

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This approach enabled schools to generate compelling language and align proposals closely with grant priorities, increasing the chance of success.

DPI Peer Review & Mentoring Grant (PRMG)

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Purpose & Overview

• The Wisconsin DPI Peer Review & Mentoring Grant (PRMG) supports school districts, public charter schools, and CESAs in designing, implementing, or strengthening peer review and mentoring programs for new or early-career educators. Wisconsin DPI
• This program aligns with Wisconsin Administrative Code PI 34, which requires districts to provide ongoing support and a trained, licensed mentor for beginning educators.
• Peer mentoring and review are evidence-based approaches shown to improve educator practice and, in turn, student outcomes.

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DPI Peer Review & Mentoring Grant (PRMG)

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Key Details & Requirements

• Maximum award amount per district or consortium: $25,000�
• Local match required: 20% of the total grant amount (i.e., district must contribute or secure matching funds) Wisconsin DPI+2Wisconsin DPI+2�
• Typical grant period: one fiscal year (funds must be encumbered by June 30)
• We partnered with Marshall School District, who uses the Partnership in Comprehensive Literary Model and coaching and mentoring

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DPI Peer Review & Mentoring Grant (PRMG)

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Eligible uses of funds include:

• Mentor training and professional development
• Peer review activities and collaborative observation cycles
• Support structures (e.g. seminar series, PLCs) tailored to district needs
• Mentoring for educators working under emergency or provisional licenses

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DPI Peer Review & Mentoring Grant (PRMG) Digital Tools Used

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• DocHub and ChatGPT
• DocHub is a great, free online platform that allows users to edit, sign, share, and manage PDF and document files directly in their web browser.
• DocHub was used to save the PDF application and send it to other stakeholders for signatures.
• ChatGPT was used with the narrative creation based on the text prompts we imputed.

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DPI Peer Review & Mentoring Grant (PRMG) Digital Tools Used

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Provident Health Foundation Grants

(Serving Marinette & Menominee Counties) 🏥🌿

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💡 About the Foundation

• Supports nonprofit and school initiatives that promote community health and well-being.�
• Focus areas include:�
• 🧒 Healthy youth development�
• 🍎 Nutrition and physical wellness�
• 🧠 Mental health and prevention programs�
• Over $2 million in local grants awarded since 2021.

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Provident Health Foundation Grants

(Serving Marinette & Menominee Counties) 🏥🌿

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💡🏫 BDP Grant Highlights

• Healthy Snacks Program – providing nutritious options to support student focus and wellness. 🍎�
• Indoor Pickleball Equipment – promoting fun, year-round physical activity for students and staff. 🏓�

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🌟 Foundation Mission

“To promote health and wellness in Marinette and Menominee Counties through prevention, education, and community collaboration.”

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Look for your area’s local foundations and grants!

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• We have the M&M Foundation and Provident in our area
• The M&M Foundation funds various community projects and have a focus on youth in a few of it's grant cycles.

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State and Local Cyber Security Grant

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🛡️ What is SLCGP?

• A federal grant program (through DHS/FEMA) administered in Wisconsin by Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM) and the Division of Enterprise Technology (DET). Wisconsin Emergency Management SLCGP Grant

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• Designed to help state, local, tribal, and territorial entities—including school districts—strengthen cybersecurity capabilities and reduce cyber risks to their information systems.

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State and Local Cyber Security Grant

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🛡️ 🎯 Program Objectives & Eligible Activities� Funding is intended to support:

• Governance & planning: creating or revising cybersecurity plans, structure, policies�
• Assessment & evaluation: identifying gaps, performing vulnerability scans, audits, risk analysis�
• Mitigation / protection: purchasing and deploying security tools like MFA (multi-factor authentication), EDR (endpoint detection & response), MDR (managed detection & response)�
• Workforce & training: providing cybersecurity training for staff commensurate with their roles

State and Local Cyber Security Grant

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🛡️ How we used the SLCGP Grant

• Purchased UncommonX cyber security monitoring, an MDR solution�
• Supported single sign on of systems�
• Purchased endpoint security�
• This $100,000 grant can be used in addition to E-Rate and is specifically for cybersecurity.�
• The one issue with this grant is there have been big delays getting fiscal reports approved and money reimbursed to our district.

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COPS School Violence Prevention Program Grant

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• 🛡️ The SVPP is a competitive grant program under the STOP School Violence Act of 2018, administered by the U.S. Department of Justice COPS Office. �
• It awards funding (up to $500,000 per grant) over a 36-month (three-year) period.�
• Recipients must provide a local cash match of at least 25%, unless a waiver is granted.

COPS School Violence Prevention Program Grant

What SVPP Can Cover:

• Coordination with law enforcement to improve prevention and response to school violence.COPS SVPP Grant�
• Training for local law enforcement officers focused on preventing student violence (against others and self) and responding to threats/crises.�
• Physical deterrents and security infrastructure, including metal detectors, locks, lighting, and other deterrent measures.�
• Technology investments that expedite notification to law enforcement during an emergency (alarms, communications systems, panic buttons).�
• “Other measures” approved by the COPS Office that provide a significant improvement in security. These are somewhat flexible, depending on what is justified.

COPS School Violence Prevention Program Grant

• This grant was the the most complex grant we have written
• This is a multiple step grant and there needs to be coordination with law enforcement and emergency management, EMS/fire at the local and county level.
• This included securing letters of support for this grant.
• Using AI reduced the amount of time to write the narratives for this grant. It went from being a 3-4 week project to maybe a week of work. We identified security needs in our school and built a list of items we needed and then AI was used to tailor the narrative responses.
• With the federal shutdown, we do not know if and when we will get notice of this grant award.

Streamlining Applications with AI

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AI helped our team quickly generate and refine application content, creating persuasive narratives while reducing the administrative burden. This AI support allowed staff to focus on strategic priorities and reduced the time and stress usually associated with competitive grant writing.

Aligning Proposals to Grant Priorities

AI tools enabled precise alignment of grant applications with the specific goals and requirements of each funding opportunity. By uploading our district school safety plan, and our district mission, vision, and goals, the AI generated narratives were very closely aligned to our district priorities. This strategic approach enhanced the relevancy and strength of proposals, improving their competitiveness. By analyzing grant guidelines, AI helped tailor content to reflect what funders prioritize, increasing the likelihood of approval.

Practical Integration of AI in Grant Processes

Building Persuasive Narratives with AI Assistance

Using AI, our team was able to craft compelling stories and clear arguments that highlighted the school’s needs and potential impact. AI-generated drafts provided a strong foundation, which the team refined to ensure authenticity and emotional resonance. This collaboration led to more persuasive and engaging proposals.

Time-Saving Strategies and Stress Reduction

AI significantly reduced the time required for drafting and revising grant applications. Automated content generation and editing streamlined workflows, freeing up staff to focus on other critical tasks. This efficiency also lowered stress levels, making the grant writing process more manageable for personnel with multiple responsibilities.

Empowering Multi-Role District Personnel

With AI support, school leaders, teachers, and administrators could contribute effectively to grant writing despite having limited time and expertise. AI acted as a force multiplier, allowing team members wearing many hats to produce high-quality applications and diversify funding sources without needing a dedicated grant writer.

Other Ways to Use AI to Save Time

Drafting Communications:

• Emails & Newsletters: Quickly generate drafts for school-wide announcements, parent newsletters, or difficult/sensitive emails to parents or staff (e.g., policy changes, disciplinary issues), allowing the administrator to refine the tone and content before sending.
• Policy & Procedure Drafts: Generate initial drafts of policies (e.g., attendance, student conduct, cell phone usage) or handbooks by prompting the AI with key parameters and legal/regulatory considerations.

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Other Ways to Use AI to Save Time

Summarizing Documents:

• Meeting Notes: Upload meeting transcripts or lengthy documents (e.g., new state regulations, committee reports) to quickly get a concise summary and a list of actionable items.
• Feedback Analysis: Input large amounts of text from staff, student, or parent surveys to rapidly identify key themes, concerns, and recommendations.
• Summarize resumes and upload all applicants resumes and look for key hiring criterion

Other Ways to Us AI to Save Time

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Workflow and Organizational Assistance

General AI and specific organizational tools can streamline daily administrative tasks:

• Brainstorming and Strategy: Use the AI as a "thought partner" to brainstorm new school initiatives, develop project plans, create talking points for presentations, or structure professional development sessions for staff.
• Content Creation for Presentations: Use tools like Gemini to generate outlines, talking points, or even images for presentations to the school board, staff, or community.
• Template Creation: Quickly create templates for common administrative documents, such as permission slips, substitute teacher plans, budget proposal outlines, or letters of recommendation.
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Specialized Research and Policy Compliance

• Legal/Regulatory Checks: While always requiring human verification, an administrator can use AI to quickly search and summarize specific federal (e.g., FERPA) or state educational guidelines related to a policy draft, ensuring initial compliance.
• Comparative Analysis: Input multiple models or strategies (e.g., different bell schedules, intervention programs) and ask the AI to compare the pros, cons, and potential impact on a specific school context.

ChatGPT/Gemini: Best for general content generation, drafting, communication, and basic brainstorming (like a high-level assistant). Gemini's integration with Google Workspace (Docs, Gmail, Sheets) makes it powerful for administrators already using that ecosystem.

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NotebookLM: Designed as an AI-powered research and thinking partner. Administrators can upload their trusted source documents (e.g., school district strategic plans, state standards, policy documents) and then ask questions or generate summaries that are grounded in those specific sources with in-line citations. This is crucial for high-stakes, data-informed tasks.

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Conclusions

AI integration transformed the grant writing process for our rural school, making it more efficient, focused, and successful. By leveraging AI tools, schools with limited resources can compete effectively for competitive grants, secure essential funding, and ultimately support student success through innovative solutions.

Share how you have used AI to support your work in your rural schools.

THANK YOU

Do you have any questions?

vczahor@pembine.k12.wi.us and lstankev@pembine.k12.wi.us

+715-324-5314

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